United We Stand

The Post follows up on a lawyer’s earlier allegation that the city is using 9/11 recovery funds to fight the claims of sick recovery and rescue workers:

The city wants to dip into a $1 billion federal fund to cover its $20 million in legal costs so far in fighting the claims of ill 9/11 workers, The Post has learned.

The city Law Department has sent an invoice to the WTC Captive Insurance Co., which manages the $1 billion insurance fund Congress created to cover claims from the World Trade Center cleanup.

The company, run by Bloomberg administration officials, has refused to pay a single sick Ground Zero worker, but has already spent more than $27 million on private lawyers. The new $20 million bill is for city lawyers.

About 6,000 rescue and recovery workers have filed claims against the city, the Port Authority, developer Larry Silverstein and many contractors.

Kenneth Becker, chief of the Law Department’s WTC unit, said the $20 million covers “lawyers’ time and expenses.”